Research: Materials

 The main assumption of my jewelry project was to create jewelry inspired by Native Americans. When choosing materials, I ensured they were as close to natural products as possible, such as natural stones, gemstones, and crystals. According to their beliefs, turquoise was a stone that brought healing and protected against diseases. It was considered a prayer stone (Oyasin, 2015).

Turquise

My next idea was to connect natural stones with another material. I started my search for resin, but it turned out that harmful chemicals were extracted during its production, which does not fit the assumption of purity and nature (Team Craft Resin, 2022). To implement my vision, I needed a material that was plastic and as least toxic as possible. I thought about clay as a product strongly associated with nature, but this material, in turn, seemed to me to be too heavy for jewelry. following the clay trail, I read about a material called polymer clay. It is a plastic mass that, after baking in the oven, becomes hard and durable (polymerclaysuperstore). Many creators use this version of clay to create jewelry. It turned out to be the perfect solution for my ethnic jewelry design. 

Once I have chosen which material I will combine the natural stones with. I did a quick research on the companies that are the best at making jewelry. It turns out that three companies on the market are recommended for this type of work. these are Sculpey Premo, Fimo Professional, and Kato Polyclay (Stearns,2022). Then, check the availability of these companies on the UK market. Most online stores such as Amazon have them available. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them locally, but if you have an Amazon premium account, they can deliver it the next day.

The last choice was the material for the chain. For a moment I was thinking about combining it with silver or gold, but I decided that I wanted to keep these materials to a minimum, or maybe just use small additions. While browsing through Google galleries with chains, I came across leather, straps, and waxed cords. I was the first to take a closer look was: leather. However, it turned out that you can't be sure of its water resistance (mahileather.com/2018), and I assume (from my own experience) that hardly anyone takes off jewelry to, for example, shower or bath. The next material I used for my research was: waxed strings. While looking for information about waxed cords, I managed to find a company whose cords are waterproof and do not lose their color due to climatic conditions. The fact that they are vegan-friendly mineral wax is also a big plus (www.spoiltrottenbeads.co.uk).  A lot of people, especially from the millennials generation and Gen Z, identify with a vege/vegan lifestyle. The only downside is the fact that they are of Brazilian origin, which makes their delivery difficult. I found a few sellers on the English website Etsy who have this company's stock. Unfortunately, their supply is limited. However, I decided that quality is an important aspect and I will base my jewelry project on these cords. 

References:

Woman, R.E.C.M. (2021) Turquoise: The medicine stone of the indigenous Native Americans, Turquoise Skies. Available at: https://tskies.com/blogs/news/turquoise-the-medicine-stone-of-the-indigenous-native-americans#:~:text=Lastly%2C%20turquoise%20is%20also%20considered,to%20protect%20themselves%20from%20illness. (Accessed: 25 November 2023).

Craft Resin (2023) Do you have to wear a respirator when working with craft resin? Craft Resin. Available at: https://www.craft-resin.com/blogs/news/do-you-have-to-wear-a-respirator-when-working-with-craft-resin (Accessed: 25 November 2023).

Polymer Clay Superstore (no date) Polymer clay information for beginners, Polymer Clay Superstore. Available at: https://polymerclaysuperstore.com/pages/polymer-clay-for-beginners#:~:text=need%20to%20begin%3F-,What%20is%20Polymer%20Clay%3F,resins%2C%20coloring%20agents%20and%20fillers. (Accessed: 25 November 2023).

Sarah Stearns Founder and Editor Sarah Stearns has helped millions of makers find their next craft project with free patterns and step-by-step tutorials on her blog (2022) Best polymer clay for earrings and jewelry, Sarah Maker. Available at: https://sarahmaker.com/best-polymer-clay-for-earrings-and-jewelry/ (Accessed: 25 November 2023).

Is leather waterproof? or water-resistant? (2017) MAHI Leather. Available at: https://mahileather.com/blogs/news/is-leather-waterproof-or-water-resistant#:~:text=If%20the%20leather%20doesn’t,older%20and%20is%20left%20untreated. (Accessed: 25 November 2023).

Brazilian linhasita waxed cord 1mm – 5 meters – grass green (1045) (2023) Spoilt Rotten Beads. Available at: https://www.spoiltrottenbeads.co.uk/product/brazilian-waxed-cord-1mm-5-meters-grass-green/ (Accessed: 25 November 2023).

Brazilian linhasita waxed cord archives (no date) Spoilt Rotten Beads. Available at: https://www.spoiltrottenbeads.co.uk/product-category/brazilian-linhasita-waxed-cord/#:~:text=Perfect%20for%20jewellery%2C%20macrame%2C%20friendship,colorfast%20and%20will%20not%20fray. (Accessed: 25 November 2023).